Till Death Do Yall Part
by homesickthug
Summary: What if Erics Dad didn't step in?
1. Chapter 1

What if Erics dad didnt step in?

AN: Some of the dialogue is from that episode though

He felt like his entire life was a lie. A part of him knew though, that's why he started asking questions in the first place. His mom had told him when he came here that he'd been born in Key West, but then she'd say it was Key Largo, and then Taveniere and then Kendall or Homestead. So he'd always had questions, but he never thought it would go as far as this. He never thought his questions would lead to answers that lead to an orange jumpsuit and deportation papers. He never thought they'd send him back to Cuba. He didn't even know they _could_ deport him. Wet foot dry foot right? Wrong, not when you're associated with certain threats.

He sat in his cell, his head against the concrete wall, thinking. His mom was just trying to protect him, but being the investigator he was he started digging, started asking too many questions until he dug himself straight into a deportation jail. Part of him hated that specific characteristic of being an investigator; you always want to figure out unanswered questions, find the truth through evidence. But usually you're investigating other people's lives, someone else's murder, someone else's rape, and you want to find the truth for them, you want to bring them justice, you want to bring them closure. But in the context of your own life, you don't realize that some questions need to remain unanswered, need to remain hidden and forgotten for the sake of today. That sometimes ignorance is bliss. But Eric had always been good at his job, to the point Horatio had promised him a job if he'd gone to the academy. Being an investigator ran through his blood, but unfortunately, so did ties to the Russian Mob, and that will always trump everything else, regardless of the fact that it's got nothing to do with him. He didn't even _know_ he was part Russian, that is until he started asking questions. And when he had questions he needed to find answers, so at this point he just decided to stop asking questions entirely.

He lay on his bed, his arm over his eyes. There were so many things he wanted to do, so many things he'd never said. And sure, eventually he'd get the chance to, once he's deported and can start the decade long process to becoming a citizen. But his _entire_ life is in America, if he were to get deported he'd have nothing waiting for him in Cuba except a corrupt, failed attempt at Communism. Karl Marx wouldn't be pleased, in fact, Karl Marx would have a fucking field day if he were alive. He'd probably go and break Eric out of jail himself if he could. But no, Marx is dead, and if Eric were to get sent back to Cuba, he'd probably follow shortly behind.

His name echoed through his cell from one of the CO's telling him he had a visitor. He knew it was either Horatio or Calleigh, though lately he'd been hoping for the latter. He loved Horatio, but there was so much he needed to tell Calleigh, so much he'd neglected to say, even though he had seven years to muster up the courage to do so.

He grunted and was faced with the bright ceiling light before standing up. He eyed the plastic mirror that was plastered to the wall above the sink. He looked exhausted and needed to shave. Which is ironic, the exhaustion, because in jail sleep is really the only thing you _can_ do.

He followed the CO down the hall until his eyes found Calleigh in the visitation room, Horatio standing beside her, which is odd considering there was a one person at a time limit. So this had to either be very very good news, or very very bad news. And knowing how ignorant MDPD (and frankly the state of Florida) is, Eric concluded it was bad. He was going to be deported, after spending virtually 30 years of his life here, after spending 7 years working for the Miami Dade Police Department, after getting shot in the head and almost losing his life in the line of duty, and this was their big thank you.

But both Calleigh and Horatio smiled at him when he took his seat, and it wasn't the "I'm just wearing this to make you feel better" smile. It was real and genuine, from the both of them. His hands laid on the table out of habit, but Calleigh took them into hers.

Eric tilted his head, "what's...?"

Horatio was the one to speak, "DHS is trying to speed up your deportation despite MDPD's request for more time."

Eric shook his head, "what about my mom? My family here?"

"Eric there's one way around this," Calleigh's voice was soft while she squeezed his hands. He tried to read her, and he knew what she was getting at, knew exactly what she was getting at, but he was afraid to actually let himself process the possibility of what she was thinking. Sure, in his few weeks here, he'd had time to think about Calleigh, well, she was really the only thing he couldn't _stop_ thinking about. They'd gotten involved a few months back; he'd took her home after she was discharged from the hospital, and made her soup and tea and sat with her on the couch to watch some stupid lifetime TV movie he wasn't really watching.

And somehow between the stalker boyfriend watching his teenage girlfriend through the window of her bedroom, and her killing him and hiding his body, they'd laid down and spooned, Calleigh's back flush against Eric's chest. And he had let one hand rest on her hip, the other somehow found it's way laced with hers. He had let his head rest on hers, breathing her in, and he was so relaxed just having her in his arms that he could have easily fallen asleep, but after the teenage girl in the movie wound up getting eaten by a tiger after hiding her stalker boyfriends body(because lifetime needed to make the movie _that_ much more dramatic) she twisted to lay on her back, him still on his side, and pulled his lips down to hers. It had been their first real kiss, and that night Calleigh was determined to make love to the man she had in front of her, yet had been neglecting, all these years. And they did, and he told her she was beautiful and he took it extra slow, making sure to give her lungs a break. And at first, he told her no, that he didn't want to hurt her, but she told him that she'd spent so many years drowning her feelings that she wasn't going to waste another minute pretending that what they had wasn't more. Pretending that she didn't love him- though she hadn't told him that, it was something she was trying to come to terms with, had been since the day he woke up in that hospital bed.

So that night they made love, slow and sensual and Eric wanted to devour and taste every tiny piece of her. And he did, and after when they were bundled under the sheets and she was asleep in his arms, he'd found himself grateful for all the tragedy that had happened, because it had only brought the two of them closer.

But now looking at Eric she could see he knew what she'd been getting at, knew she was talking about getting married. And the concern he had in his eyes, for _her_ sake, not his own, made her realize that maybe she didn't express her feelings for him as much as she should have.

"What you said in the hospital," she mumbled, "it goes both ways, I hope you know that."

Processing the situation, he couldn't help but feel a tad guilty. He didn't want her to feel forced, even though they'd been a _thing_ for the past few months, marriage is a big deal, an important part of someone's life, and though they could get divorced in a few years(god he hoped not), he didn't want her to take such a drastic step to keep him here. Sure, they've known each other for seven years, but they'd only been dating(could you even call it dating?), they'd only had this strings attached _thing_ for a few months, and Eric wasn't about to let her make such a life changing move just to keep him here.

But apparently, she wasn't going to take no for an answer. One hand unlaced from his to cup his cheek, "you mean too much to me."

"I don't want you to throw away your first marriage just to keep me in this country."

Calleigh chuckled, "honestly Eric, there's no one I'd rather be married to then you. You mean the world to me, and I've already almost lost you so many times, I can't lose you again."

Eric ducked his head, processing and slightly embarrassed that Horatio was standing a few feet away, and slightly confused at how nonchalant her words were. Had she just asked him to marry her? And pretty much made clear that this wasn't just an immigration marriage? And from the guilt that glistened in his eyes, she could see that she hadn't expressed how much she loved him as often as she should have. She'd always been one to hide her emotions to keep herself safe, but now it seemed those thick walls she'd built around her were as painful as the walls built around the country. Why hadn't she told him? She'd thought they'd have more time, she was waiting for when she was ready, but that was a big mistake.

Ever since the files, ever since her stunt in the hospital, they became a team, and though they'd always been a _team,_ it wasn't like this. Sure, she had looked a little too long and he'd stood a little too close, but their affection for one another had always been obvious, though never blatant. That is, until he'd almost lost her, he wasn't going to sit around and wait for something to happen. So he made sure something did. And after their night together on the couch when she'd been discharged from the hospital, after they'd kissed for the first time and made love for the first time, Eric had asked her to dinner, and she readly accepted, and since that night when she'd invited him in and he kissed her gently, really it'd barely been a kiss, what they had had changed forever. She'd gone back for a second kiss, and a third, and somehow in the mix of tongue and teeth her fingers found the buttons of his shirt, again. And they spent another night in bed, though he'd been able to last longer than the night on the couch, and then another night turned into almost every other night. And though one couldn't say they were _dating,_ there was no way in hell their relationship remained in the awkward limbo between friendship and lovers. They were lovers, without the labels and the awkward conversation of whether or not they were dating, but lovers none the less.

And now, racist border regulations and small fine print regarding wet foot dry foot restrictions that the DHS _happened_ to stumble across once they figured out an MDPD CSI was in custody, was going to tear them apart. And Calleigh wasn't about to have that.

Eric looked at her then glanced to Horatio for a second before settling back on her. He'd missed her eyes, missed her smile, even though she'd made an effort to come visit him every day or every other day, he still missed every moment he'd wasted away from her. Horatio realized they needed some time alone, so he cleared his throat and said something about going to talk to the county clerk.

When he was a few feet away he squeezed her hands, "you don't have to do this."

She smiled and shook her head, "Eric I'm not going to just let what we have disappear because of stupid immigration laws. What you said in the hospital... we do things together now, as a team."

Still, he felt guilty. I mean of course he'd love to not get deported, and of course he'd love to be with Calleigh, but he didn't want her to do it solely for his behalf. They'd spent that last few months together, yet _still_ Eric wanted to make sure she wasn't just settling for him, he _still_ wanted to give her the opportunity to find someone better, because in all honesty he'd never feel like he was good enough for her. But that's where he was so, so wrong, because he's all she's ever wanted.

His apprehension was still obvious, and it broke Calleigh's heart to see him like that, to see him so... defeated... merely because he believed she deserved someone better.

"What you set about settling down," she murmured squeezing his hand, "we can't do that if you're in Havana."

Eric looked over his shoulder to see Horatio signaling for them to follow. Eric nodded and Calleigh turned, then turned back to Eric, squeezing his hands in reassurance, "come on."

They stood up, hands still laced, while Eric studied her face. Studied to make sure that she wasn't feeling forced, that she really wanted this. She smiled a steady, heartwarming smile and pulled him into a hug. He stayed in her embrace a few moments longer than visitation regulations allowed but DHS wasn't trying to start anything with Horatio. It felt so right, having her against him, holding her while her head rested on his chest, while his rested atop her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she breathed him in, let his smell radiate through her. Her hair was soft against his face, his hands resting on her hips. God he'd missed her.

"You're not going anywhere," she murmured, pulling away to face him with a smile, her fingers interlocked at the tip of his spine, just below his hairline.

"Calleigh, danger has been following me everywhere I-"

She shut him up with a kiss, a soft and beautiful one, and it took Eric a minute to realize he was actually kissing her. How long had it been? Weeks; weeks since he'd felt her lips on his, since he'd tasted her and breathed her in. Weeks since he'd felt her arms around his neck, since he'd held her close to him. It'd been far too long, so it took him a moment to process this, to process her, and she'd only kissed him for a few seconds but he was already dizzy for her. Jesus he missed her, missed them, but still, his priority was her safety. Sure, he may have gotten around being deported, but that only means it's that much more dangerous, and he loved Calleigh too much for that, he couldn't bear anything happening to her, especially if it was because of him.

"Calleigh, I'm serious. I don't want anything to happe-"

Again her lips were back on his, warm and languid, and any doubt he had about her marrying him _solely_ to grant him citizenship vanished. This wasn't just for him, this was for _them,_ for what they have now and what more will grow in the future. The kiss was subtle and couldn't really be classified under PDA, yet she poured everything she had into him, into one simple kiss.

She pulled away and looked at him, her smile soft and her words tender, "I've got the safest house in Miami, do you know how many guns I have?" she laughed a little with him, but then lowered her voice, "and Horatio's posting a uni down the street from my apartment."

Eric chuckled and Calleigh took his hand and pulled him towards Horatio, "You protect me and I'll protect you."

The grin that stretched across Eric's face was nothing short of lovesick. And he wasn't alone in that, Calleigh's smile mirrored the same. He's always been in love with her, whether it be subconsciously or not, he's always wanted her. And it took him getting shot to realize that, took her almost dying of smoke inhalation to tell her, and now took him being at risk for deportation to actually seal their relationship, strings attached and all.

Horatio smiled at them and patted Eric on the shoulder once he entered a room down the hall where a young woman sat behind a desk, her feet up while she played on an Nintendo 3DS. Miami tax dollars at work.

"You got a money ord- fuck fuck fuck!" She was rapidly hitting the X button on her gameboy, and turning the system as if that would be of any use in the actual game. She sighed and closed the gameboy, letting it drop onto the desk. She put her feet down and turned her attention to Eric, Calleigh, and Horatio. And Horatio momentarily wondered how old this girl was, and if she was actually qualified to hand out marriage license. None of the three needed anymore drama regarding citizenship.

As if the young girl could read Horatio's mind she answered his unspoken question that lay on the tip of his tongue, " _yes_ I'm able to do marriage licenses. And _no,_ your tax dollars are _not_ being wasted- I make minimum wage so don't worry, your tax dollars are going straight into corporate greed." She paused and chuckled, "let me stop myself so I don't get fired. Yall got a money order? It's 25 bucks."

"Uhh yes," Calleigh said, searching in her bag to find a folder with all the paperwork, and handed it over to the girl.

"Dope, thanks for being organized," she said with a smile, "so many folks come in here without proper paperwork sometimes. It's a pain."

She flipped through the pages and then fumbled around in the desk drawers to find some other paperwork.

She dropped 2 sheets of paper and 2 pens on the desk, "Imma need yall to fill this out. Is what's in the folder mine or do I needa make copies?"

"It's yours," Calleigh said looking at the application. It was simple and basic and took less than ten minutes to fill out.

The girl eyed the papers, "yall ain't just tryna get married to avoid his deportation correct?"

Calleigh smiled, "no of course not."

"Dope, alright how long have yall been dating?"  
"2 years-" "4 months-"

They spoke at the same time, good job guys, way to make this marriage convincing.

"2 years and 4 months," Horatio declared with a smile. And the young girl couldn't have really cared one way or another so she continued.

"Bet, alright so," she paused fumbling around, "Eric Delko, do you take Calleigh dusqui-" she paused awkwardly, "how do you say your name?"

Calleigh chuckled, "Duquesne."

The girl nodded, "right," and again paused to look at them, her hands gesturing at them with a smile, "yall are getting married, at least _act_ like you're excited, face each other, hold hands, look into eachothers eyes with your undying love. Don't gotta be the whole nine yards but yall at least gotta _try_ to look like you're in love."

They both chuckled and she waited for Eric to take both of Calleigh's hands and faced her smiling. This was no where near how he'd imagined it would be, and he'd thought about it plenty. But, it made it that much more special. Sometimes tradition is overrated.

"Alright better. So, Do you, Eric Delko, take Calleigh Duquesne soon to be Delko to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do yall part?"

Eric chuckled and squeezed Calleigh's hand, whose cheeks had currently turned a light scarlet, and brought his lips to her knuckles "I do."

"Dope. And do you, Calleigh Duquesne soon to be Delko, take Eric Delko to your wedded lawfully husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do yall part?"

Calleigh smiled even wider, if that were humanly possible, "I do."

"Dope, I now pronounce yall husband and wife, you may kiss the bride," she paused and glanced to Calleigh, "or you may kiss the groom. Don't matter who go first."

Calleigh chuckled and Eric pecked her on the lips before pulling her into a tight hug, his arms wrapping around her, his head resting atop hers. He kissed the top of her head and murmured that he loved her, the strands of her blonde locks tickling his stubble.

"You know I love you," she said into his chest. They were like that for a moment, holding each other like they were the only ones in the room; as if Horatio had vanished and the young girl had evaporated into some video game wonderland. Right in that moment, all they had were each other, and that was all that mattered. And oddly enough, it wasn't weird, being in front of Horatio, like both Calleigh and Eric had feared. It was natural, and Eric briefly wondered if Horatio knew that this was the first time either had told eachother that they loved each other, and meant it in it's rawest and most tender form; meant it deep inside them, pulsing through their veins like warm electricity.

They hadn't realized how long they'd been holding each other until the young girl spoke, "you know," she smiled, "yall slick better be redoing this wedding. I mean yea, this was you know nice and all, but yall _at least_ gotta get him out that god awful jumpsuit, and you know, if your paycheck agrees, maybe toss in some wedding rings, some dinner, maybe a honeymoon? But ay, that's just me."

Eric cocked an eyebrow and smiled, "don't worry, we'll get you front row seats, and maybe a grammar tutor."

She chuckled, "alright yall, unless yall planning on going out to a celebratory lunch and inviting me along, it's time for my break. You can pick up your personal effects at the front desk, they'll also have paperwork for your discharge. And," she signed two pieces of paper and slid it to them, "these are yall's marriage license. Don't lose it. And congratulations."

She stood up, "and don't forget to send me my invite."

* * *

They'd gone to Calleigh's place, yet had barely made it through the door, and she found it quite odd that she was the one pushing Eric up against the wall after they got inside, that she was the one pulling him down for a deep kiss.

And she wasn't really embarrassed about it until he chuckled against her lips while his hands found her hips, "feisty are we?"

She blushed, and normally Calleigh Dusque- no not Duquesne, Delko- doesn't blush, but she found that ever since her and Eric let their relationship spiraled into what it was always meant to be, underneath her thick skin was indeed a blusher, but Eric had always made clear that it was cute.

"I missed you," she murmured, her hands wrapping around his neck, her cheeks still a light crimson, though she was far too gone within his smell, his eyes, the feel of his lips, to let the embarrassment take over.

"Mhhm," he chuckled against her lips, "probably not as much as I missed you."

She quirked her brow, a simple challenge, though the look in her eyes was both playful and seductive.

"I doubt it," she replied, moving her lips to trace barely along his jawline, her breath hot on his skin while she placed soft, open mouth kisses along his jaw, down his neck, and all he could manage to do was let his eyes flutter shut while her lips explored his skin, skin she hadn't felt or tasted in far far too long. Eric let out a slight gasp when she nipped at the bottom of his earlobe, "every night I missed you, I missed not being in your arms, I missed your smell, your voice, your eyes, your touch. I lost my best friend."

He smirked, "your best friend hmm?" A lusty nip left the end of his sentence a breathy gasp, and she thought it was utterly sexy.

"Mhmm," her voice vibrated against him, "my best friend, my partner, the love of my life,"

"You're husband," he pointed out with a smile, deft fingers finding their way to the buttons on her dress shirt.

"Yes," she murmured, latching onto his pulse point, "my husband."

"Calleigh," he whispered, his fingers leaving her shirt to cup her cheek, "I love you," he tipped his lips to her, and though the kiss was still soft, it was slow and filled with more passion, and in the privacy of her own home she let her hands wander over his biceps, down his back, along his chest until she met the top button of his white dress shirt.

"You're not just saying that cuz you get to say?" she murmured playfully, unhooking the first and second button of his shirt.

"No," he smiled, his hands moving down to cup her bottom, "hold on to me."

Before she had a minute to protest he hoisted her up, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist, and she honestly wasn't shocked at how ready he was. It'd been far far too long since he'd been with her, and you can't really... use your imagination while you're in a deportation jail. Still, it turned her on immensely, and the friction his belt buckle made against the ache between her thighs made warm liquid rush south. God, she'd missed him.

Eric got them to her bedroom effortlessly; it was evident that this was most definitely not the first time they'd done this dance in her home. He dropped her on the bed, and she tugged him down with her, her arms around his neck, smiling while their lips met again. He had one knee on the bed, while both his elbows were on either side of her as he cupped both her cheeks, and pulled her close to him, "I missed you," and how many times had he already said that already? It didn't matter though, not really, as far as he was concerned there were no words to describe the ache that he felt spending those few long weeks without her. And it wasn't one sided, Calleigh had been in the exact same boat too, which is why she kept tugging at him, why she wrapped her legs around the one he had kneeling on the bed, why she kissed him hungrily and requested entrance to him with her tongue, which he all too willingly granted, his hands finding the buttons of her shirt where he'd left off.

One hand moved to cup a covered breast, while the other deftly unbuttoned the buttons of her shirt. His thumb circled around a hardened peak, the friction of the shirt against her ignited senses was delicious and left her pulling at his collar trying to get him impossibly closer.

And she moaned into his mouth while she situated her legs now around his waist to grind against him, and he had to stop what he was doing so he could concentrate on not fucking coming in his pants and at least finish unbuttoning her shirt, but when she spoke he knew he'd have no such luck with, at least the latter of those tasks right now.

"Lay down on your back," her voice was thick and playfully seductive.

He looked at her for a moment, debating on whether or not he should let her take control, but he didn't really have much time to think, and she wasn't going to give him more than a few seconds to anyways. She rolled them, pushed his chest until his back hit the mattress and his head hit the pillows. She climbed ontop of him and straddled his waist, her chest falling against his while she captured his lips with hers. His hands roamed her back, tangled in her hair and eventually laced with hers. She sucked on his lower lip before pulling away and sitting up, her core grinding against his erection, making them both moan. His eyes fluttered closed and back open when he felt her unbuttoning his white shirt, and when the top button was finished, he sat up and she pushed the shirt off his shoulders, one unnecessary barrier taken care of. His lips found her pulse point, sucking lightly and she gasped, finding the feel of his whiskers against her skin that much more sexy. She let her hands roam his chest, his biceps, his back, tracing her fingers along the contours she'd missed so much. These past few weeks without him, these past few weeks having to sleep alone were some of the hardest weeks of her life. And she'd rather die than have to go that long without him, that long without knowing whether or not she'd actually be in his arms again. The concept was scary, and she pushed it out of her mind. He was here now, with her, and that's what mattered.

And she also decided there was one thing that needed to be taken care of. Something he'd protest at first, but after would welcome fully. While his lips continued their descent around the silky skin of her jaw and neck, she pushed herself down his thighs a little further, and made reach for the buckle of his pants, her hands trembling just a little because of the magnificent things his tongue and teeth were doing along her throat. But she managed to get the belt undone and surreptitiously unzip his pants, but when her knuckles brushed against him, he moaned against her neck before pulling away to look at her. Caught.

She put a finger over his lips before he could say a word, "stay down," she murmured. And he did -though with only a moment's hesitation- his head fell back on her pillows, her smell leaving him intoxicated. She smiled at him, that seductive smile that always sent chills through his body, and began to tug off his jeans and drawers in one slow move, watching him watch her. And he now lay nude, chewing on his lip which was foreign because he'd never felt so... powerless. To her. He was always the one to take charge, but then he watched her hand stroke him, up and down up and down, until finally he saw where her lips were headed, and jesus she'd already _married_ him, she didn't need to go down on him too(and though she said she liked it, he went with his gut and seriously doubted that anyone women enjoyed giving oral sex).

"Calleigh, you don't have to do that," but his voice came out shaky with desire.

She smirked, "you were in there for what? Three and a half weeks?"

He swallowed and nodded while she continued to speak, "and I'm sure there were certain, uh, _needs_ that couldn't be met while you were surrounded by guards?"

She massaged the head and his breathing hitched while his eyes fluttered shut and nodded. Well, she _did_ have a point, you can't exactly take care of yourself in prison without completely losing your dignity.

She ran her thumb in circles, spreading the precum across him, "and," she continued, "I wasn't surrounded by guards, so I was able to meet said needs as well as possible with my imagination."

Wait, what? Did she.. Oh god. That was quite a visual.

Eric opened his eyes, and they'd gone dark, almost black while she continued to smirk, her fingers teasing and her words seductive, "so I think you might need a hand," she said, stroking him up and down, up and down, agonizingly slow with just the right amount of pressure, "and maybe some tongue too," she added, her head now descending down, and her lips taking the very tip of his aching erection, sucking at the warm flesh. And Eric's eyes crossed, a low groan falling from his throat. He didn't really process what was happening, there were too many things going on and the only thing he managed to do was close his eyes and focus on the feel of her lips, the way they kissed along his length and then licked with quite a skillful tongue back up to the head.

Very rarely did Calleigh ever go down there merely because Eric insisted that she didn't have to, and that even if she did he wouldn't last. And that was exactly what was happening right at this very moment, and he couldn't tell if she just didn't get the message or if she was just trying to torture him, but without a moment's notice she damn near swallowed him, and he groaned again. Maybe... when he hasn't been sex deprived for three weeks... he might let her go down there more often, considering right now he needed her to _stop_ doing the things her lips and tongue were expertly skilled at. But damn, Eric had spent three weeks in a jail cell with absolutely nothing to do except count tiles on the wall, and as much as he loved the feel of her lips over his length, he'd spent three weeks without her, and he wasn't going to come without being inside her. He'd been disconnected from her for far too long.  
"Calleigh, baby, you're gonna need to stop that," he breathed his hand reaching for hers, "I need to be inside you." His voice was breathy and needy so she pulled away from him and he pulled her up by the elbows on top of his chest, hastily undoing the remaining buttons of her shirt, tossing it aside, then moving on to her pants, picking one knee up from beside him, and then the other to successfully rid her of the garment and have it follow the path of the rest of their clothing. She leaned back down to kiss him, and he let his hands wander down her back, feeling the warm skin he'd missed so much, dancing his fingers up her spine and along her ribs, just touching and feeling and savoring her. Grateful. He kept touching her and she kept kissing him, it was simple and beautiful and could he be anymore in love with her? Could she be anymore in love with him? No, she was all he ever wanted, and so was she, and so much more.

His fingers unhooked her bra and her hands only left either side of his face to rid her of the lace- and though it was brilliantly sexy- right now he needed her and only her; her skin on his, nothing between the atoms that made up their flesh except protons, neutrons, and electrons.

She grinded against him, her breasts sliding over his while her hand cupped his cheek and his hand tangled in her hair, the other two laced together. She readily accepted his tongue against hers, finally dancing together in a rhythm that'd been neglected for far too long. His tongue against hers, they kept kissing and kissing and kissing and ignoring their need for oxygen, until it became too much and the kiss broke, leaving them both panting, with Calleigh's head tucked in the crook of his neck. He unlaced his one hand from hers and the other from her hair and let them ghost down her back to meet her hips and let deft fingers tuck into the side of her panties and pull them down, far enough down her thighs for her to shimmy out of them. He left one hand gripping her bottom, the other quickly moving between her legs, searching until he met slick skin that was hot like Miami in the middle of July and wet like the streets after a hurricane.

"Look at me," he murmured, turning his head to brush a kiss against his temple, "I wanna see you."

And how could she deny him? It was worth the slight embarrassment, so she tilted her head up, while his fingers brushed against her, moving lazily with no intent to tease, no intent to bring her to a glistening peek, not now, not yet. Right now he just wanted to touch her, wanted to make her feel good and with that he was successful. She arched and he took the opportunity to grasp a breast with his lips, sucking lightly which only made her moans louder and more insistent. And it was when she moaned his name on a sharp gasp that the gears quickly shifted

"You're so wet," he murmured, his current intentions twisting to that of teasing and taunting. He flipped them, so now he was on top, so he was in control. He sucked and nipped and kissed every part of her, sucking and nipping at her breast before kissing at the valley between and moving down, down to where two fingers pulsed hard circles over her heated center. And personally, Calleigh hated being extra loud during sex, hated letting out long groans of pleasure, hated asking for more, yet all the embarrassment that followed every time she accidently let her cries venture a little too far into the wild, did not exist at this moment, not this time.

And when his tongue met her clit, two fingers ventured down to the yellow brick road and all that mattered right now was making sure she endured an expedition of painfully exquisite, sensual teasing until she finally found her way to the blissful Emerald City.

But right now, she sure as hell wasn't about to take that journey without Eric going with her. So between moans and gasps of his name, she somehow found the will to formulate a broken sentence that got across the point that she needed _him_ with _her._ Now. And he smiled, pressing a final kiss to her core before towering over her, balancing with his forearms on either side of her, and brushing his lips against hers in the sweetest of kisses. And she'd tangle her hands in his hair if she could, but instead she had to settle with soft prickles, which, frankly, she only found sexy on him. So she pulled him closer, kissed him harder, trying to make up for what they lost these past few weeks. And when she wrapped her legs around his waist he groaned, and the kiss once sweet quickly spun to hot and passionate without a breath of air between. She grinded against him, one hand reaching between them to guide him to her. He took a breath, preparing himself, before entering her slowly, trying to keep his breathing steady, and it was obvious by the way his forearms were shaking besider her, that it was taking effort. She grinded against him again, encouraging him to move. He left a chaste kiss on her nose, and then let their foreheads meet, his eyes never leaving hers. And he began to move, making sure to take it slow, making sure his eyes never left her. She gasped slightly when the angle adjusted, so he bent his head back down for a kiss, a simple one, a reap and sow of their lips before he pulled back, intent on watching her the entire time. And her eyes never left his, at least while his thrusts had remained slow.

But he couldn't help pick up pace, and by the way Calleigh had bit her nails into his bottom urging him deeper, she didn't seem to mind. She tried to keep her eyes locked on his, but blissful bubbles of pleasure were beginning to form and she couldn't help letting her head fall back with a roaring moan of bliss leaving her, and Eric wasn't doing any better. His head fell in the crook between her neck and shoulder while he kept thrusting longer and thrusting faster, her nails scraping down his back, and she couldn't stop the cries falling in tune with his grunts if her life had depended on it. It was too good, having him inside her, pulsing long and hard and fast, in and out in and out; she could have died right there and been entirely okay with it.

And she was almost there, close, so close. He managed to slide a hand between their sweaty bodies, down down to the one place that would push her over, and in unison with his thrusts he swiped two fingers over her. And with one, two, three, they were both gone, Eric practically falling on top of her, doing his best to hold up his body weight so he wouldn't crush her tiny frame. He laced their hands, his forehead resting against hers, the both of them attempting to catch their breath, though neither attempting to move from their current position(both because it was quite comfortable and neither knew if they actually _could_ move).

He leaned in for one last kiss before pulling out and situating himself beside her.

"Jesus, I love you Calleigh," he breathed, pulling her into his arms and brushing his lips on her hairline.

He felt her smirk against his chest, "Good. I love you too."

"You know," he smirked back, his voice playful, "I think that was some of the best sex we've ever had."

"Mmmh," she stirred and then chuckled, after glow settling around them, "couldn't agree more."

It was silent for a moment, Eric stroking his fingers along her spine, over each vertebra. They were married now right? Technically? And though it may have been... entertaining, getting married while in an orange jumpsuit in front of Horatio and... a feisty county clerk, Eric still wanted to do it right. Wanted to propose, wanted to have an actual wedding with rings and without the tacky orange jumpsuit. Their marriage was memorable, which he appreciated, but the county clerk was right, they needed a real wedding. But his eyes were drooping shut, and all he could do was let himself follow Calleigh into the wonderful world of sleep. He'd figure it out sometime tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: This is more of a humorous chapter. Writing isn't the best but recently I've been thinking about how to come out to my family about being gay, so that is what inspired this. Actual wedding is next. Also, sorry for not updating as quickly as usual I'm in college and I'm taking college classes during summer semester as a full time student plus I work 20 odd hours a week. I love yall tho thank you so much for everything yall have no idea how much it means to me and if u think i focused too much on the county clerk i apologize.

When Eric had walked back into the lab last week a free man, none of his fellow coworkers were surprised. They'd all been made aware of what was going down. And it was an easy decision for Calleigh, a complete no brainer, because it was _Eric,_ but there was a blatant miscommunication that went through the lab regarding Calleigh's intentions. Yes, of course his need for citizenship kind of pushed the two into marriage, but it stood to reason that they were going to wind up signing eachothers marriage license sooner or later. But apparently nobody in the lab picked up on that.

When Horatio had brought everyone together- Ryan, Natalia, Calleigh, and Walter- they'd figured that _someone_ was going to have to marry Eric in order to keep him here, and considering same sex marriage wasn't legal(Horatio would marry him in a heartbeat- though he'd have to fight Calleigh), it stood to reason that Calleigh was the most likely candidate. She and Eric had known each other far longer than he and Natalia had and were far closer than he and Nat ever would be. And yes, after the shooting people picked up on the shift in he and Calleigh's relationship, but Jake was still hanging around and Eric... well was trying to figure out how to live with a partial bullet lodged in his brain, so even though the shift was evident, nobody within a 10 mile radius of the crime lab thought that whatever new level their relationship seemed to have jumped to warrant anything more than a closer friendship with a subtle hint of attraction. And even though Natalia may have seen Cal kiss him on the cheek once while he was processing in the lab and had teased him about it, she didn't think their relationship went any further than it always had, the only real difference being Eric and his lack of flirtation with the opposite sex.

So when Eric walked back into the lab, people were glad to see him and made small remarks about he and Calleigh- all of which the lab viewed as nothing more than innocent teasing. As far as everyone in the lab was convinced, with exception of Horatio(as usual), this marriage was nothing more than an immigration scam. The shift in their relationship others had noticed- first when Eric was shot, and second when Calleigh was in the hospital for smoke inhalation- they thought was nothing more than them really realizing how short life is and allowing that revelation to bring the closer than they'd been before. Though, they hadn't realize how close they really were, hadn't realized Calleigh had spent more nights with Eric, in his bed, curled up next to him sweaty and satisfied, than she had her own home.

So this lack of knowledge warranted only playful teasing about the newlyweds, on both ends of the spectrum. Natalia teased them about the upcoming(though nonexistent as far as they were concerned) honeymoon, Ryan teased them about the earliest they could sign the divorce papers, Walter just smirked and decided to refer to Calleigh only as Misses Delko(which in turn made her blush and she prayed no one noticed), and Horatio just sat back and watched, slightly entertained though he'd never admit it. Besides Eric and Calleigh, Horatio had been the only to have actually seen the wedding, to have actually seen the way they looked at one another, to have heard how they'd said I love you and the purity in their words. Everyone else was clueless. For the most part.

It'd been about two weeks since their marriage(neither wore a ring), when a certain someone accidently made things a bit more complicated. She was about 5 feet tall, wore long dark dreadlocks that contrasted with paleness of her skin, and looked rather out of place while she stood a few feet in front of the elevator, though the file folder she held may have helped a tad in making her appear as though she had _some_ professional reason for being in the lab. She glanced around through the white blur of lab coats that were walking in all directions and decided to make her way down the hallway in front of her. But she'd only gotten a few steps into the lab before she was quickly stopped.

"Hey kid, you can't be up here," and she quickly turned around and glared at the asshole that decided to call her kid. Getting your authority questioned 24/7 was not something that she enjoyed, and it really managed to piss her off. She did an about face and saw a man who may have been a good bit taller than her, but was still shorter than most the other guys in the lab.

Ryan walked forward towards her, "you don't have authority to be up here."

She continued to glare, and though she may have had to look up at him, the fact that most of the other people walking pass him were taller than him made her feel a bit better.

"I needa see The Delkos."

Ryan smirked which the girl quickly pointed out, "why is that funny?"

"Don't worry about it, you can't be up here though, so I need you to leave."

"I ain't leaving until I get The Delkos to finish signing this paperwork. My supervisor aint give it to me until after they left, so unless they ain't here and are on their honeymoon or some shit, imma needa see them sometime within the next 20 minutes 'cause that's when the bus comes for me to get back downtown."

"Sweetie-"

" _Don't_ call me sweetie."

"I can pass off the divorce papers to them, I'm assuming you're the county clerk that married them? What's your name?"  
She frowned, "I'm Siris and I ain't got no divorce papers, slick unless they on their honeymoon or some shit it'd be dope if I could see them now."

"There's not going to be a honeymoon."

She tilted her head and frowned, "que?"

Ryan just laughed, "it's not... nevermind okay. Follow me we'll head to the break room."

She followed him down the hall, though made sure that her glare hadn't budged. People making fun of other peoples relationships had always been something that ate at her. Day in and day out she'd let immigration marriages fly by because she thought the concept that a person could be 'legal' or 'illegal' was absurd, but every now and then she'd get a couple running into her office begging for their licence, not because they were at risk for deportation, but because their families didn't approve, or their friends or other things like that. She'd watch people run away from the lives they were in to be with each other, simply because of how others treated them. So that had always pained her deeply- a couple's love will never be something that should be questioned or made fun of. She had experienced that first hand, but not just because she was a county clerk. And though she'd only known both Eric and Calleigh for a good ten minutes, she could tell that neither of them would take such absurdity. Siris remained utterly confused.

When she and Ryan made it to the break room, he told her to sit while he pulled out his phone and put it on speaker.

After two rings there was an answer, "Duquesne"

Siris shook her head, mumbling loud enough only for Ryan to hear, " _Delko_ not Duquesne."

Ryan rolled his eyes, "Cal I have this young lady-"

"Ms _Delko_ ," she made sure to put emphasis on that, "it's the county clerk from the courthouse. My supervisor needs yall to come sign a few more papers that he ain't give me until yall already bailed."

The line was silent for a moment, "umm okay, we'll uh be right there."

The line was cut and Siris just stared at Ryan, "why she aint using her married name?"

Ryan chuckled, "look this whole thing... Eric and Calleigh? No way in hell."

"For a CSI you seem to be pretty shitty at your job," she murmured, though not loud enough for him to make out the words.

"What?"

She spoke up, "no offense but you gotta be a shitty ass CSI to not see the chemistry that's going on between them. I let immigration marriages pass all day every damn day, and I aint never seen no one look at each other the way they did for a damn immigration marriage. Yall gotta open your eyes and stop fucking with them like that," she shook her head, "divorce papers? _Really_? Aint no fucking wonder why they aint tell yall, yall'd just fuck with them about it all day."

"It's all fun and-"

"No, it aint," she interrupted, "look, CSI whatever your name is, it ain't your place to make fun of what they feel. I mean shit," she glanced around and gestured to the lab, "how many chicks yall got working in here? Anyone of them coulda married Delko, but there's a reason _she_ did, and yall had to have known that. I aint tryna be a bitch but folks aint gon tell yall nothing if yall always be fucking with them like that."

Ryan was quiet but she spoke again, "I aint meant to go off on you, just folks think shits all fun and games and they aint thinking about the folks on the recieving end. Yall always think it's funny to question my authority because my ass closer to the ground than the rest of yall, and yea shit it was funny the first few times, but it gets old real quick. I'd imagine how it is for them. How they supposed to be real with yall, how is she supposed to be comfortable using her new last name, if all yall just fucking with them and not taking shit seriously?"

Ryan took a moment to digest what she was saying, and in all honesty he felt like an ass. Sure, the shift in their relationship was evident, but obviously everyone hadn't realized how far that shift went. And it wasn't just Ryan teasing them, it was the entire lab. So with Siris's reality check Ryan realized it was no wonder that they hadn't told anyone the truth- everyone had been teasing Calleigh about it from the moment Eric got arrested.

Siris frowned at Ryan, "Sorry, I aint mean to go off or nothing."

Ryan shook his head, catching a glimpse of both Eric and Calleigh from down the hall, "no, you're right. Everyone in the lab had been joking about it, I guess it's no wonder they haven't come out."

Eric held the door to the break room open for Calleigh, and Siris smiled, "I need yall to sign some more paperwork," she pulled out three documents from inside the folder when they made their way to sit at the table.

"Everything okay?" Eric asked, glancing at Siris then to Ryan.

"All good," she nodded, "your CSI and I having a heart to heart."  
Calleigh cocked her eyebrow, "on what?"

"How it got old real quick with folks not taking me seriously. Shit, shit might be funny at first, but it gets old, right CSI Ryan?"

Eric glanced to Siris then to Ryan, who just nodded in response, "yea."

And now both Eric and Calleigh were looking at Siris, who shrugged and smiled and said, "I guess yall CSI's just good with natural science, I guess a lot of yall," she said gesturing with her chin to the lab, "aint so good when it comes to social science. I aint no scientist but I can tell yall that when folks play around with each others relationships and feelings and shit, it just fucks up the swing of things and makes life harder."

Eric set down his pen to glance at Siris and Ryan, then focused his semi confused eyes on Calleigh, who returned the same "oh-shit-we've-been-outed" look.

But Siris quickly caught onto that, guilt washing over her face, realizing there might be a purpose for their coworkers incomprehension of their relationship, "oh..." Wide eyes and eyebrows furrowed with guilt looked to Eric and Calleigh, "my bad... I just thought yall werent saying nothing 'cuz..." she started to nod with understanding, "right, my bad. Guess I aint getting that wedding invite. I just," she paused with a smile and put her hand over her heart, "yall were so in love and it was so touching and the way CSI Ryan was just laughing about it, it just-"

Eric put his hands up with a smile, "alright calm down," he laughed, "nobody knew about us," he said gesturing between him and Calleigh.

"Yea," Calleigh agreed with a smile, "except," she glanced to Eric then to Ryan, "wasn't Valera saying something about us?"

Ryan rolled his eyes, "Valera says something about _everyone._ But... how long?"

"My song hospital visit, technically," Calleigh replied.

"Right," Ryan said with a smile of remembrance "and Eric took you home... Right I remember..."

Siris frowned slightly, but Eric reassured her, "really, it needed to come out anyway."

She glanced at him, "oh trust me, I know _that,_ I just damn."

"What is it?" Calleigh asked, tilting her head to glance at the young girl.

"Well," she began, her brows still furrowed in thought, "it's just, I spent _95% of my life_ in the closet, so you'd _think_ I'd have the common sense to know when folks aint tryna get outed," she turned to Ryan, "Sorry for calling you a shitty CSI, I guess _I'm_ the shitty CSI," she glanced once more to Eric and Calleigh, "don't yall ever hire me."

They all just looked at her, and she returned the perplexed expression, her eyes wide, "what?" She nodded towards the paperwork, "my Super fuck shit up again?"

Eric shook his head, dropping his glance down to the papers in front of him, all of which had been completed, "no, uh, we've signed everything."

"Dope," she smirked, reaching across the table for the papers and folding them back into the folder she had in front of her, "I gotta get myself back downtown," she paused and looked at her phone, "and I just missed the bus," she glanced up and smirked at Ryan, Eric, and Cal, "guess I'm here for another 30 minutes," her smirk turned into a grin, "we can talk about wedding arrangements, you know I got this friend who's got a friend of a friend who's sisters boyfriends brothers kid," she paused glancing up in thought, "not the one that deals, the other one," her eyes returned back to Eric and Calleigh with a smile, "they got this dope ass meeting spot by the beach kinda near Homestead where they smoke at night and you can like see the stars and shit," she started nodding with a smile then glanced out into the hallway of the lab, "I guess yall might needa inform other folks that this marriage ain't just some scamming immigration shenanigans before we talk about an actual wedding where Delko aint in no ugly ass orange jumpsuit. I won't out yall, I promise."

A new voice filled the room, one Siris had yet to hear but one the three CSI's lowkey dreaded for walking in at this part, of all parts, of their conversation.

"Out you for what?" Valera asked, cocking an eyebrow and heading to the coffee machine, "and who's that?"

"This is Siris," Ryan smirked, "the county clerk that married The Delkos over here," his voice was not sarcastic nor teasing in referring to Eric and Calleigh, in fact his nonchalant attitude brought comfort to the both of them, but Valera didn't seem to catch on.

She snorted, spinning around and leaning on the counter while she waited for coffee to brew, "The Delkos, right. Whose being outed?"

"I am," Siris's response was simple. She glanced to Eric and Calleigh, "did yall really not pick up on my gayness? Do I send out a straight vibe? Is _that_ why I'm single?"

Well... to both Eric and Calleigh's relief that was a pretty good save. If Valera found out the validity of their marriage then everyone would find out through lab rat gossip and that's not exactly how either of them wanted it to go. Rumors start and Judy in DNA might hear that Eric and Calleigh were somewhat involved before the wedding but then it'll wander the halls and get jumbled and mixed up- fact quickly turning to fiction and Travers in trace is gonna hear that not only were they involved before the marriage but that Calleigh was pregnant with twins, and, because Travers is a gentleman (with a questionable sexuality...) He won't partake in the gossip but an intern is gonna mix up the results of a tox report with that of the rumors and somehow between reading that the levels of Heroin a DOA had in her system and hearing the latest telltale's from the "Eric and Calleigh Gossip Column" the lab techs had started, she'd get confused and mishear twins as triplets and would pass that along. And before you know it another intern hears that the county clerk is a lesbian and somehow in her mind she finds a way to twist the scenario and before you know it the whole lab thinks that Eric and Calleigh were married and that she's pregnant with triplets but leaving him for the 19 year old county clerk.

So yes, the less Valera knows without the correct context, the better. And, though Eric would never admit it, he has to agree with Siris in that they _are_ surrounded by CSI's that are challenged in the social science area, which in turn is not a good thing, considering they do have to not only discover evidence but need to put it in the context of who the victim is- something that even natural science couldn't do. Evidence is not evidence outside of context, and though it is through natural science that we gather the evidence that exists, it's the social science that is picked up on that truly puts the evidence in context.

But now, everyone in the room was staring at Siris, who, at the moment, gave Valera a challenging eye, daring her to say something negative about her random confession.

What Siris had said to Ryan about making fun of Calleigh and Eric's relationship- about how their friends and coworkers not only dismissed the concept that they could be involved, but continued to tease them about it without actually knowing the truth- related to her not only because of her size. She understood what it was like to come out, what it was like to be surrounded by people that laughed at those that fell on the queer spectrum, that made fun of girls with short hair and guys in tight jeans. And though her coworkers may have thought they were being harmless, they'd had no idea how difficult they were making it for Siris to even _want_ to come out. She didn't want to see Eric and Calleigh go through the same struggle that she herself had gone through for most of her life. People don't realize- and knowing some of her coworkers and friends, she figured they didn't care anyways- how painful it is to go day in and day out hearing teasing comments and insulting smirks about a concept they thought was theoretical but was in fact very, very real.

And she found power in challenging those that might dare say something rude. She'd offer a simple glance and people would shut up, but unfortunately it seems that neither Calleigh nor Eric possess that sassy skill. But there was no brawl between her and Valera, no fiery words nor any disrespect like she'd been forced to learn to expect through life. But instead, Valera simply stared at young girl, curiosity evident in her eyes.

"Okay, the county clerk is gay. And?"

"And that's it," her response was simple. But the situation was becoming a bit more eventful when both Natalia and Walter entered the break room, laughing about something someone had said during interrogation. When they turned their attention to the awkwardness that filled the air of the breakroom, questions were quickly replaced with laughter.

"Whats going on?" Natalia asked.

"Who's that?" Walter added, tilting his head to look at the young girl, "is she allowed up here?"

Ah and Siris offered her best glare, identical to that that she'd given Ryan earlier that pretty much mirrors the glare Jon Stewart gives Bill O'reilly whenever he opens his mouth.

"County Clerk," Valera responded blandly, pouring herself a cup of coffee, in response to Walters question.  
"So _you're_ the one that married them?" Natalia asked with a smile, though not one of support regarding The Delkos but one of playful, yet painful, ignorance.

Her eyes may have left from Walter to Natalia, but her glare didn't budge(though for some reason she felt it _almost_ fall a little bit more forgiving when she laid eyes on Natalia), "yea. They're married," she wasn't going to continue with that statement considering it seemed both Calleigh and Eric wanted it to stay on the downlow. But when she glanced to the two of them, Eric offered a smile and a nod, and as if on cue Siris continued, " _Married_ married. Like, probably the first marriage within the past 6 months that wasn't happening _only_ to keep him in America."

"Married married? That's a new one," Natalia quipped, the glint in her voice making it obvious that she didn't pick up on the underlying meaning.

Another voice, a british one that Siris was, again, not familiar with, filled the room, "Who's married married?" he asked, shrugging past Walter to the coffee pot Valera was standing beside.

"They are," Ryan said, nodding to Eric and Cal.

"Well no shit," Travers smirked, "did you people _actually_ think that she married him merely to keep him here? Please, they've been dating for _months_! Where have you people been?"

"Travers you've known the whole time?" Walter asked with a quirked brow.

"Yes, how did you people _not_ to know? It's so obvious."

Eric put his arm around Calleigh's shoulder and Travers gestured towards the action with his hands, "My god, he does that _all the time._ You Americans, so so oblvious. You live up to your stereotype that's for certain."

Siris smirked and nodded with agreement then glanced to Travers, "I like you."

"Well, thank you. You seem fine yourself," he replied with a smile, then looked around the room at his Co Workers, "you know," he began, pouring himself some coffee, "maybe it's because sitting in the lab and running trace gives me time to observe, but bloody hell, I'd thought as CSI's you all would have at least _noted_ the obvious change in their relationship," he shook his head with playful disappointment, "tsk tsk my fellow CSI's, tsk tsk."

Natalia tilted her head, "any other obvious secrets that we don't know?"

He smirked, stirring his coffee, "why yes of course, but as it wasn't my place to out Eric and Calleigh, it as well isn't my place to out the rest of the lab. I just figured you all would _catch on_ considering they're _married,_ for Christ's sake."

"Well," Ryan began, a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "thanks for educating us."

"Of course," Travers smirked, picking up his mug, getting ready to leave the breakroom, "that's what we Brits do." He walked a few inches to the door frame before turning, "I want front row seats to the wedding," he said nodding to Eric and Cal, "And by the way," he said glancing to the rest of the rather oblivious CSI's in the room, "the county clerk is gay, and if you couldn't even pick up on _that_ then I believe it's time for some CSI retraining," he smiled, "I'll be in trace."

They watched Travers stride down the hall, an awkward yet soothing silence filling the room for a few moments before Walter spoke, his words not a statement but a question, "congratulations?"

Eric grabbed onto Calleigh's hand with a smile, "thanks."

"Welp," Sirius began, "I'd love to stay and chat with yall but I gotta get myself back downtown to let more immigration marriages pass by. Peace yall," she moved her glance to Eric, "seriously though, that place near Homestead? It's dope yall should get married there, and contrary to popular belief my gay ghetto self can plan dope ass weddings. I'll do that shit for free too," she smiled, "yall know where to find me." With that she followed Travers path down the hall, but instead turning the opposite direction from trace to the elevators.

"Well..." Natalia began, "...that was interesting-" she cleared her throat just a tad, "an uh, interesting way to find out about the two of you."

Walter had his arms crossed, watching the two and they felt a new form of nudity they hadn't felt when everyone was joking about them. But all the same, Eric and Calleigh decided being stripped of their secrecy and having their marriage that was once classified as an immigration marriage now be understood as the normal "I wanna grow old together" and "let's hope we don't get sick of eachother" marriage was better than, let's say, everyone thinking the whole thing was a sham but then, somehow(well we all know _how_ ), a fetus begins to inhabit Calleigh's insides and _that's_ how everyone finds out about it(though in retrospect, and taking into account that they are pretty educated in the STEM sciences, that'd kinda be their own fault, considering both know what happens when you get jiggy with it and are too aroused to care much about condoms).

No, both Calleigh and Eric could only handle one embarrassing thing at a time, and being outed by the lesbian county clerk was probably the _least_ embarrassing, considering all of the fellow CSI's were bombarded with a whole lot of random news, they had no idea where to even _start_ processing everything. And then Travers, Travers had been the voice of reason, so frankly, they couldn't really think of a more fantastic way to be outed. Nobody had a clue how to process all the random and surprising things that fell on their plate all at once. So yes, though it was not how they _expected_ their coworkers to find out about them, it atleast made it far easier to deal with. Especially since... well... these past two weeks... every morning... and uh... every night... the two acted as though condoms didn't exist...


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry this took a while, I've been busy with college and work and college and work and yea that's basically my life, so when I do write fanfics, it's generally at 1AM(like right now.)

But yes, this fic is finally complete. I appreciate all of you guys, for reading this and continuously supporting me. I'm forever seriously so grateful. I'm working on another fic right now for CSI Las Vegas, so for those of you that watch the original... stay tuned.

Also, if you're curious about my "coming out" to my father he doesn't believe me because of my love for Adam Rodriguez(the guy that plays Eric.) Heh, the irony. Delko doesn't have _me_ questioning my sexuality, just everyone else. Okay, now for the fic- peace.

If you'd've told Calleigh this time last year that'd she'd be standing in a covert yet totally romantic alcove of a beach near Homestead, wearing a beautiful, strapless white dress that hugged her curves and fell slim around her, barefoot while she anxiously wiggled her toes in the soft sand of the beach, she'd have told you that you were utterly insane, that the chemicals used in the lab weren't as safe as everyone insisted. She'd've laughed and fallen in a pool of what she viewed as realistic thinking.

Her, in a wedding dress, _married?_ Yea, no way in hell. A year ago she'd been on and off and completely fed up and heartbroken with Jake, and frankly she'd made up her mind when he came back around last year that she wouldn't marry him. Fuck around with, okay sure. But she didn't want anything out of him, she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with him, she was just looking for someone to fill the void she'd been feeling, and with Jake- though Calleigh may have felt a little bad for it- she knew she wasn't going to catch feels, wasn't going to fall in love because that would be too much for her to process, but that didn't mean she wanted to spend sleepless nights alone.

Jake had been there to fill the void, to make her bed a little less lonely, to make her feel sexy and stunning and let her ride out whatever it was that was eating at her. She felt bad because Jake had tried to care, but it just... they weren't... it wasn't like she knew it could be with the right person. Jake knew it, felt it too, and towards their breaking point she couldn't make her eyes reach his without feeling an insane amount of guilt that was almost worse than the pain she was trying to numb by being with him, if you could really call it that. And she hated letting that thought run through her mind but they both knew that 'trying to numb the pain by _being with him'_ was a nicer and more modest way of saying that she was 'trying to numb the pain by _fucking him'_. But Jake just... they weren't... that had been so long ago and then he'd shown back up and lurked around and Eric was still trying to figure things out and she had needs to fulfill. And okay, maybe she, for a split second while she squeezed her eyes shut and let her neck fall back on a sharp grunt of pleasure, let herself indulge in the idea that it was Eric beneath her, that it was his skin she felt, his length inside her, his hands that pawed at her, but Calleigh had to shoo away those thoughts, even though she couldn't _help_ it, couldn't help them, couldn't stop the comfort she felt when imagining that it was Eric. Trying to not think about it meant she was already thinking about it, so it was always there with her for split second before she let the guilt wash over her and forced herself to rind up memories of her and Jake back when she loved him, really love him.

But it just wasn't the same, they were so different now, they both grew up and grew apart, and she'd thought about Eric, thought about the idea of him and her even before he got shot. His previous issues with women were irrelevant to her, but then she thought about herself, thought about losing him as a friend because they might end badly. And then, not too long after she realized Eric had been what she was missing, he got shot, he almost died, and it all hurt too much. It was just too much to cope with. But he'd been healing from both emotional and physical trauma of being shot, so starting a relationship, a real relationship with him, just felt ethically and morally out of place while he was in such a vulnerable state. But still, she had needs.

But the obstacles and fronts and past relationships and hookups didn't shield away Calleigh's feelings. She was hesitant, sure, but she'd fallen for him, and he just wasn't ready and she didn't like sleeping alone- and if she was honest with herself she knew she wasn't ready for the depth and pureness she wanted her relationship with Eric to be built on. But there was a spark inside her when she felt Jake's arms encircle her, and she realized how wrong it felt, how fake it felt. There was someone else out there, someone that would make her toes curl and her legs feel like jello and her heart skip a beat or two. Someone that respected when she needed her space, someone that understood how hard it was to be open and let her walls down, someone that knew how hard she had to work to be able to share her feelings, someone who wouldn't crush her in the vulnerable state that left her feeling raw once she stripped herself of the barrier of self protection she'd spent years building around her.

And she knew who it was, knew who she wanted to walk down the aisle to, who she wanted to share the rest of her life with, but that was something she'd tried to push from her mind. She told herself it was unrealistic or wouldn't work out or just wasn't smart, to decide to make _him_ her long-haul guy. But boy did she want to, and that scared her, she'd never felt so... in love with anyone before, so infatuated and filled with need and want and lust. It scared her, but at the same time... it all made sense. If she trusted anyone with her heart, to never crush it, to keep it safe and protected, and to keep _her_ safe and protected, it was him.

And now here she was, warm sand between her toes while the sun began to set and the evening began to cool, a bouquet of flowers in her hands while her father hooked his arm with hers. There was no stereotypical music, nothing but the peaceful sound of the tide while it splashed in waves on the beach. Eric's mom and dad(not the bastard that didn't come prove his citizenship, but his actual father, the one that raised him) and his sisters and their kids standing quietly to the left side of the aisle, on the right their coworkers, Nat and Valera and Travers and Walter and Ryan and Alexx and Horatio, and even though Calleigh wasn't religious she could feel Speedle and Marisol's presence as well.

And then she started walking, her father wearing a smile of approval(when Siris heard there was concern of how her father would act, she took the liberty of "accidently" bumping into him, and hinting that if he were to do _anything_ to mess up this wedding she'd come after him and make his life significantly more difficult with what little power that she had as a county clerk), Eric's mother, the emotional and proud mother that she was, was already tearing up at the site of Calleigh. Horatio smiled just like he had when they'd gotten married in the detention center. Ryan smirked at Eric while standing next to Walter, Travers standing beside them, his arms crossed with a satisfied smile. Natalia and Valera snickered about the way Eric looked at Calleigh, like she was the only thing in the entire world that had any sort of meaning. Alexx was beyond happy, her babies finally falling into each other's arms, something she'd been waiting for since day one. Speedle and Marisol, their presence warmed the entire scene, and with a sneaking glance at Horatio, Calleigh knew she wasn't the only one that felt the two there with them.

Siris stood beside Eric, a few yards away from where Calleigh was walking with her father towards them. Granted, her father may have listened to Siris and decided to be happy for Eric and Calleigh, but that doesn't mean he didn't question why the hell they both agreed to have a flaming lesbian with black dreadlocks and ghostly pale skin, and an accent and grammar that Duke only associated with those he classified as "hoodlums."

But they figured what the hell, she married them the first time and challenged all of their coworkers that were joking about the wedding, so they thought it'd be fitting to have her reread the vowels, she'd stood by them through this adventurous journey after all. When Calleigh met Eric and joined their hands, Duke left to awkwardly stand beside Eric's family while Siris smiled at them.

"See, _this_ is what I meant about yall doing the whole nine yards."

Eric glanced to Siris with a smile and then back to Calleigh, while Siris cleared her throat to start the ceremony.

"Alright yall," she began, "we're here today," she paused and glanced up to the evening sky that was slowly falling over them, "or well... tonight," she watched as Calleigh held back a chuckle and glanced to see Duke glaring at her with disapproval, but Eric told her they wanted it to be like the first one, and Siris was more than happy to oblige.

"Well, we're here tonight to share this important, and from what I've heard from some of yall, long overdue moment with Eric Delko and Calleigh now Delko in a more romantic setting than a detention center. They met like 8 or 9 odd years ago when Eric was still driving a tow truck and bumping into crime scenes left and right. They been through hell and back with each other, yall have seen that, and their love has blossomed and grown and what not into what it is today. And now they decided to live out the rest of their lives as one, and it aint just to keep Eric in the country, though that little mishap is just what pushed them to do what needed to be done," she paused and smiled, "if any of yall got any issue with this, yall best not say nothing"

She paused to smile at the two, whose hands were joined just like Siris had directed them to do in the detention center a few months ago, "So do you, Eric, take Calleigh Delko used to be Duquesne, to be your already lawfully wedded wife? To keep having and holding from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do yall part?"

Eric squeezed Calleigh's hands, running his thumb over her knuckles. Calleigh's face was no longer the light scarlet it'd been all evening, she was full on blushing, blushing at the way Eric was looking at her, like she was the most beautiful thing in the world. Granted, that _is_ how he was looking at her, though.

"I do," he murmured with a smile, squeezing her hand.

Siris just smirked with that knowing grin she always wore around this kind of romantic shit; despite the questionable demeanor that painted her personality, she totally ate this kind of shit up.

"Bet, Do you, Calleigh Delko used to be Duquesne take Eric to be your lawfully wedded husband? To keep having and holding from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do yall part?"

Calleigh was hoping the few tears she couldn't keep inside would go unnoticed, and when Eric swiped them with his thumb, she was hopning that at least no one else notice. But she just... couldn't help it, she damn near started crying when they got married in a deportation jail with him in that god awful jumpsuit, and now they were here in the cool evening dawn on the beach hand in hand, doing this again, doing it for real this time.

"I do," she smiled.

It was quiet while they let the moment sit, basking in the intimacy, together. But there was something, something very important missing, which happened to be inside of Ryan's pocket.

Siris glared at him, until he realized she was silently urging him to get his ass up there, and with a glance to Walter he ventured towards them, reaching into his pocket and grasping a small black box and handing it to her. She snatched it from him playfully and looked to Calleigh, "I know Eric got like this womanizing reputation or whatever, but his whole 'I needa impress her with big stereotypical things so she know how much I love her' mentality was kinda blocking his judgement, but we ran into him and offered some help for free. Point of the story is I found him like glued to that jewelry counter at Dolphin Mall tryna find the perfect ring for you with a rock as big as his heart, but no worries, it's so much more special than that, and won't get in the way of firing a gun or whatever."

She handed the box to Eric who smirked at her then turned to Calleigh, opening it and smiling at her, "you know, it's a good thing we keep our fingerprints on file, or else I'd have to go around dusting the lab," he lifted the two rings from the box, both were simple silver bands, matching on the outside, but on the inner part of the ring, they were both unique.

He hadn't even gotten to telling her the most important part but already her cheeks were far more flushed than before, in love and embarrassed about everyone being there to see, to see how well Eric treated her- no one had ever treated her that way before. She was a sucker for those Nicholas Sparks books and 80's chick flicks, having a guy show up outside of her house on a lawnmower blasting music from a stereo or, as childish as it was to think about while she was well into her 30's, being asked to prom in some ridiculously creative way.

Granted, everything about their marriage was unique. Sure, many people get married to avoid deportation, but how many people could say that they were probably gonna end up getting married anyways, but this was just a fast track way to it?

He lifted her hand and smiled, "I figured you'd like practical, well no, Siris figured you'd like practical, but still," he tilted the ring for her to see the inside of the band, "mine has your fingerprint and yours has mine." Calleigh was beyond shocked and impressed, at both the articulate carving of their fingerprints, and at how creative and sentimental this was. Yea, no way in hell she could resist letting a few tears fall when she saw, in small cursive writing on the other side of the band "I can't imagine living my life without you" engraved in lettering just as articulate and unique as their fingerprints.

She wanted to speak, wanted to say something, but she knew that if she did she wouldn't have been able to stop the flow of tears that would follow. But she didn't have to speak, her eyes were enough for Eric, enough to show how real this was, how much she loved and cared for him. And despite everything they've been through, despite the months and the paperwork and the fear for both of their lives, despite all of that, her eyes were enough for him to know. So he just smiled, and without hesitation, slid the ring onto her left hand, and seeing that, feeling his hand with hers, feeling his fingerprint embedded on her finger and the sweet words he'd spoken to her in the hospital, forever engraved, she couldn't help the flow of tears. They were embarrassing and she hated it, especially when in front of others, but she couldn't help it, so she buried her head against his chest, trying to prevent the one suit he owned from getting covered in tears. Not tears of sadness, but tears of joy and delight and she just felt her heart flop over and she realized she couldn't be anymore in love with this man.

He ran his fingers through her hair until she felt that she could speak without crying, without her voice coming out hoarse and shaky. She smiled at him and mumbled a quiet thank you, and he smirked, and then Siris spoke, "I pronounce yall... husband and wife... again," she stopped and smirked while she watched them standing so close, looking at each other, basking in that feeling of it just being the two of them here, and frankly everyone found the scene a bit too beautiful to break. They looked so peaceful, for once. It was natural, like Travers had pointed out a few months before, they weren't hiding their intimacy, Eric didn't hesitate when he reached his hand out and let his fingers run down her cheek- they weren't hesitant or worried about people seeing, people knowing. They weren't worried about anything, they were relaxed and at peace, for once. And everyone figured they'd needed that for a few moments, after all the time they've spent hiding. But they were so entranced by one another they didn't realize that the few moments were rapidly ticking into more than a few minutes, that is until Siris spoke.

"Yall can kiss now," she smirked, and Calleigh glanced at her, blushing, embarrassed at being caught. But Eric wasn't worried about it, right now Eric wasn't worried about a damn thing, except cupping the nape of her neck with his hand and pulling her to him, finally. Though despite them no longer having to hide their intimacy, Calleigh still felt nerves crawling along her spine knowing that everyone was watching her, watching them. So before Eric could deepen the kiss like Calleigh knew far too well that he would, she pulled away, tipped her forehead against his, and smiled, a smile that she hadn't wore in a long time. A smile that had faded with the death of Speedle, and kept on fading after Eric's shooting, and virtually disappeared after the shit with Jake and her kidnapping. But it was back now, it met her eyes completely, for the first time in so, so, so many years. And she kicked herself for ignoring it, for ignoring what she knew would bring it back, what _everyone_ knew would bring it back. But fuck it, they were here now, together, for good, forever. Nothing and no one, not fear nor continuous questions nor IAB and racist immigration laws. There was nothing between them, and they'd officially sealed it with a kiss. And Calleigh finally felt like she could breathe.

The moment couldn't last forever, not here anyways, so Valera catcalled and Natalia yelled that she needed to toss up the bouquet to see who was next on the CSI wedding adventure chronicles. With a smile she reached down to where she ended up dropping the flowers without notice, taking a few steps from Eric and tossing it up, up, up into the darkening night sky.

With a tiny gust of wind brought on from the smooth current of the ocean, the flowers took a rather unexpected turn and fell into the hands of someone that sure as hell didn't know what to do with them. With wide eyes and furrowed eyebrows, Siris glanced at the flowers in her hands, then to everyone around her, all eyes on her, which made her rather confused and uncomfortable. Her eyes, though, remained wide with discomfort while she gently reached the flowers back to Calleigh, "here," she said with a smirk, "yall might wanna try these on someone that can actually _get_ married."

With a simple shake of her head and a smile, she took the flowers back and tossed them back up into the night, another gust of wind dropping them right back into Siris's hands.

"Oh _hell_ no," she said, "you know what, no I get it. It's cuz I marry folks", she stood on her tippy toes to glance to their friends and family that had dutifully gathered there with them, "I guess imma just marry the next one of yall that get married," with a bit of force she tossed the flowers away from her, hard enough to fight through any tiny gust of wind that might bounce them back to her. And then they flopped right into Natalia's hands, and she wore the same deer in the headlights look Siris had on a few moments ago, "I would like to second that 'hell no'."

Eric and Calleigh just smiled, despite Natalia and Siris treating getting married as if it were like contracting the plague, their wedding brought them together in so many different ways. It was evidence of the depth that their friendship, their relationship, their feelings for one another. Evidence that they'd do anything for one another, that they'd always be there for one another, that it may have taken a little while for them to put together the pieces, but they'd finally come to realize that _this_ was it. Both of them, they were finally happy. They weren't going to fight it, they weren't going to make up excuses about why it wouldn't work, they weren't going to keep lying to each other, weren't going to keep pretending. they were going to stay together forever, and in the words of Siris, ' _till death do yall part._


End file.
